Hidden Depths
by lynne-monstr
Summary: The background image on Germany's laptop has been changed. Germancest.


A/N: This was written for a writing challenge on tumblr. We had a prompt and about an hour to write and this is what I ended up with.

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Germany looked up from the screen and blinked several times, eyes sweeping across the crisp, clean lines of his empty office. Shaking his head, he took a steadying breath and slowly looked back at the computer monitor.

The picture hadn't changed.

Not that he thought it would, but he'd harbored a vain, secret hope that perhaps the stress of the week had gotten to him and caused him to project his baser desires in highly inappropriate and semi-public manner. But of course that wasn't the case, and Germany stared at the picture that was quite real and currently adorning the background of his government issued computer.

Prussia, wearing nothing but a cheeky smile and some dubious looking accessories, looked right back at him from the glowing display screen.

Germany felt his face flush. He had seen Prussia in much more compromising positions, but something about the stillness of photography made it seem even more obscene. In real life, Prussia was always in motion, even when tied down, but the picture lent itself to study. Germany found himself leaning forward, his nose practically pressed against Prussia's—

The click of his office door opening echoed like a gunshot and Germany jerked backwards. The force sent his chair spinning backwards and he clutched the armrests and planted his feet on the ground, barely managing to right himself and slam the lid of the laptop closed in an uncharacteristic flailing of limbs.

His assistant Greta poked her head into the room. "Mr. Beilschmidt, your 2 o'clock is here." Her eyes squinted behind severe rectangular frames. "Is everything okay in there? You look rather unkempt today."

Germany cleared his throat but had less success clearing his mind. He swept a hand through his hair, grateful that nothing seemed out of place. "I'm fine," he managed to get out. "Please send my 2 o'clock in."

With a stiff nod she left, and Germany slowly raised the screen of his computer. His shoulders tensed as he re-entered his password into the login screen. The picture was still there, looking out of place among the office detritus spread out along his desk

He shifted in his seat and quickly brought up an Excel report to hide the incriminating photo and put his mind back to more appropriate matters. Then he placed an empty file folder on his lap, just in case.

The door opened again. Germany glanced up and froze.

"You're not my 2 o'clock."

"No, lucky for you."

Prussia cut an impressive figure in a black three piece suit, the dark fabric contrasting dramatically with his fair coloring rather than washing him out. It brought to mind the long expanse of pale skin currently serving as Germany's laptop background. He forcibly ejected the thought from his mind as Prussia strode into the room, lips curling into a smile.

"I told Walter to take a late lunch," Prussia started, not waiting for Germany to respond. "Trust me, you didn't want him in here anyway. I saw the foreign policy draft he was working on and it was a train wreck." Prussia pulled a flash memory drive from within his jacket pocket and tossed it across the desk in a lazy arc.

Germany caught it smack in the palm of his hand, the other still clutching at the manila folder in his lap.

"You should have asked me to do the work up instead. Or do you not trust a former empire to play nice with the neighbors?" Prussia was grinning, leaning back with his hands in his pockets like he didn't have a care in the world, but there was brittleness to his smile that sent a wash of vertigo and déjà vu surging through Germany. As if they'd been suddenly transported back in time twenty years with no warning.

Shaking the strange feeling aside, Germany set the flash drive down atop his legal pad. "How did you get my password?" he asked.

To his credit, Prussia didn't even pretend to misunderstand. He gave a casual shrug of one shoulder. "Gilbert1871," he said, eyes dancing with laughter and something else, something softer that Germany couldn't quite identify. "You might wanna pick a better password next time. Maybe something a little less like a twelve year old girl."

Heat blossomed across Germany's face and his ears felt uncomfortably hot. Which was ridiculous, considering the digital tableaux he was staring at mere minutes before.

How had Prussia managed to get into that position, let alone hold still long enough to photograph it? "I had no idea you were that flexible," he mused aloud.

"I've got hidden depths," Prussia agreed. He took a step closer to the desk.

That brought to mind a different picture entirely and Germany licked his lips. "I'm presenting in Brussels next week. It would serve you right if this picture was still on my computer when I connect it to the projector."

Prussia tilted his head, assessing. "You wouldn't," he finally said.

Germany pursed his lips. "Perhaps you should have thought of that before violating my property."

Mirroring his stance, Prussia leaned in to place both hands on the desk. They locked eyes in a silent struggle of wills, neither saying a word. The silence stretched until, seeming out of nowhere, Prussia pulled himself upright with a roll of his shoulders and made his way back to the door. "The picture was a gift. Use it however you see fit." He flashed a smile that was half mischief and half challenge, and left the room.

Germany was left wondering who had won and who had lost. Regardless, he had no intention of following through on his implied threat. Not because Prussia would be embarrassed (he wouldn't be, if the incident at the circus with the sketch artist in 1928 was any indication) but because Germany was simply too selfish to share.

With that in mind, he reset his default background to its previous, non-pornographic state. But not before emailing the picture to his mobile phone.


End file.
